Get ready to embark on an exciting journey! The Social Venture Pathway is a self-guided programme to help you launch your own social venture. The pathway is full of useful information and templates, including bitesize resources to introduce social ventures, options for funding and legal structures, as well as how to do impact measurement. Follow the entire journey or pick a topic below for customised support.

Let's get started! 🚀

Topic 1: What is a Social Venture?

Ready to change the world? Explore the links below to learn about routes to impact for your research and what a social venture is. It's time to make a difference! 🌍💪

Consider Routes to Research Impact:

Avenues to Impact

Learn about Social Ventures:

The Social Venture Equation

The Social Venture Scale: Part 1

The Social Venture Scale: Part 2

Types of Impact

Why Form a Social Venture?

Reasons to Spin Out a Social Venture

Topic 2: Plan your Social Venture

Starting a social venture requires exploration and planning. We've compiled a set of templates to guide you through the process of identifying the social issue, establishing your vision and mission, creating your Theory of Change, and developing your business model.

Remember, you don't have to complete all the templates at once. We've arranged them in a logical order, with the initial templates focused on exploration and the later ones on implementation.

Understand the Social Problem:

Template: Problem Definition

Set a Mission Statement:

How to: Set your Vision and Mission

Template: Mission Statement

Fill in an Idea Canvas (early business planning):

Template: Idea Canvas

Create your Theory of Change:

Introduction: Theory of Change

How To: Theory of Change

Template: Theory of Change

Complete a Business Model Canvas (later business planning):

How To: Impact Business Model Canvas

Template: Impact Business Model Canvas

Topic 3: Funding Options

Now that you’ve started planning your venture, here’s a handy list of social funders to make your vision a reality. The link below includes a range of possibilities, from impact investment to crowdfunding and grants. The type of funding you choose can even impact the legal structure of your venture. So, dive in and find the ideal funding solution for your social venture! 💸📃

Search for Funding:

Impact Investor Finder

Topic 4: Legal Structures

How do you embed impact in a start up? What are the different legal models that allow you to do this? It’s a complicated landscape. Below are a series of short videos and guidance documents to help navigate the complexities of setting up your venture, helping you choose the right legal structure to embed and achieve impact. Note, these are mostly UK-specific guides.

Choose a Legal Structure:

Legal Structures: Options

Why Most Social Ventures Are Private Limited Companies

Key Questions to Pick a Social Venture Model

Company Limited by Guarantee or by Shares?

Owners and Managers

Understand the Relationship with University and Investors:

Typical Social Venture Spin-out: Governance and Relationships

Choose How to Embed Impact in your Social Venture:

Embedding Impact in a Governing Document: Options (short)

Embedding Impact in a Governing Document: Options (full)

Embedding Impact in a Governing Document: Implications

Embedding impact in a Governing Document: How?

Topic 5: Measuring Impact

Measuring and monitoring the impact of your venture is key to creating meaningful change. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to impact measurement, so browse this section for an introduction, understand why you might need it, and a helpful template to get you started. Ready to start measuring your impact? Let's go! 〽🎯

Understand Impact Measurement:

Introduction to Impact Measurement

Interview: Impact Measurement 1

Interview: Impact Measurement 2

Create an Impact Model:

Guidance: Setting up Impact Measurement

Template: Impact Measurement